Sam Biddle

Clean water. Not being tortured. Torrents. Yep—the United Nations has enshrined the right to not be booted off the internet by your government has a fundamental human right, slapping proposed draconian European intellectual property laws in the jaw.

The UN report is essentially aimed at France and the UK, which have been pushing for new legislation that would permanently unplug your internet access for illegal downloads. Not so fast, you guys! The UN sayeth: "The Special Rapporteur considers cutting off users from Internet access, regardless of the justification provided, including on the grounds of violating intellectual property rights law, to be disproportionate and thus a violation of article 19, paragraph 3, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights." Boom, Euros.

Can the UN stop these laws? Probably not. But is this a prominent slap on the wrist? For sure. [TorrentFreak]